Chico Marx

1 7.0

An American comedian and actor who was one of the Marx Brothers in popular films

proper noun
/ˈtʃɪkoʊ mɑrks/

: Chico Marx

Chico Marx was famous for his Italian accent and piano performances in the Marx Brothers' films.

Examples

The comedic timing of Chico Marx remains influential in film history.
Many fans can imitate Chico Marx's distinctive style and mannerisms.
Chico Marx was a talented comedian.
I love watching Chico Marx in old movies.
Chico Marx was famous for his Italian accent and piano performances in the Marx Brothers' films.
Many fans can imitate Chico Marx's distinctive style and mannerisms.
The comedic timing of Chico Marx remains influential in film history.

Surface Forms

Chico Marx main

Morphology

chico + Marx

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person (one of the Marx Brothers), so its biographical meaning cannot be derived from the literal constituents. Proper names are largely arbitrary and require cultural/world knowledge rather than composition of known words, so a B1 learner who knows 'Chico' and 'Marx' would not infer that it denotes a U.S. comedian and actor.

Etymology

Chico Marx got his stage name from the nickname 'chico' (Spanish for 'boy'), which he used as a playful, childlike name instead of his birth name. He used Chico while joking and playing piano on stage, so today Chico Marx refers to the comic actor known for that funny piano style.